OMG, I am miserable

Yesterday my throat got scratchy and sore, and I started sneezing.  Today I am in full blown cold mode despite taking echinacea, vitamin C, and Zicam as soon as I thought I might be coming down with something.  I'm still taking all those several times a day, in addition to OTC cold meds and Ricola cough drops.

Geeze, I hope it eases up tomorrow.  Flying is not fun with a cold, I've done it.  It's travel with a cold or forfeit my fare- and that ain't happening.  So I will keep medicating myself, drink lots of water and green tea, and hope I can stop sneezing so I don't infect the whole plane.  It would be nice if it were not a crowded flight so I can crawl into a row all by myself.

I have my iPod full of music, and some quilting podcasts I found in addition to the good old standby solitaire.  I have a book, and some hand embroidery- assuming TSA doesn't take my age 4 and under blunt nose scissors from me because they are so freaking dangerous.  Maybe I should just take a travel pillow so I can sleep!!


Here's hoping for an uneventful, fast travel day.

Hard at Work. . .

and nothing to show.  I finished my Interpret This! piece yesterday.  I'm pretty happy with the results, and am thinking I may even do some more playing with the concept since I have fabric left over.  We'll see.  I'm going to try to get a couple of small pieces started today, so I can have some hand work while I'm traveling next week and while I'm in Florida.

Yes, the baby is a year old- hard to believe.  She is gorgeous, feisty, and already has a strong personality.  I ordered her some books for her birthday, and it looks like Amazon has let me down.  I thought I ordered them in plenty of time, but they haven't even shipped yet- so I'm just hoping they arrive before I return home on Oct. 2.

I leave Wednesday afternoon, so am trying to remember all the last minute stuff.  I guess if I were smart I'd write them down as I remember them, since I know my memory is chancy at best! 

So, if I get any fiber pictures I can show, I'll post before I leave.  Otherwise, you'll hear from me next in Florida!

Singular Sensations

Take a look at the Art Quilt Association website, you can see the seven juror choices for the exhibition that will be at Pacific International Quilt Festival next month.  'Reaping the Whirlwind' is in very good company!

All this has me thinking about entering the quilt in other shows- Cincinnati, maybe?  Or maybe the big one- Houston in 2011??

I'll be working to finish my Interpret This piece tomorrow and Saturday, but lots to think about while I'm quilting!

Tennis

has occupied a lot of my week- was not yesterday's semi-final between Federer and Djokovic amazing?

I also got a lot done on my Interpret This piece yesterday, but I can't show any pictures of that.  Right now I have it up on my design wall to look at for a few days.  I was thinking of adding a design twist, but now I'm not so sure.  So I'll look at if off and on this week, and make my decision by Friday.

My WAQ group got together on Friday- I may be able to quilt the memory quilt using a friend's longarm.  That would mean I could have it done in a couple of hours rather than a couple of days.  It won't happen until after I get back from Florida in October either way.

So that has been my week.  I'm playing with design ideas for a couple small pieces for a silent auction at Barnes and Noble in Grand Junction, using more rusted fabric.  I've cleaned the studio, I'm thinking about quilting designs for the Interpret This piece.  Nothing exciting here- I wish the rain would stop in New York so we can get this final underway!!

A Long Weekend- and a Piecing Marathon

We're having a lovely long weekend- and I'm enjoying it, since much cooler weather is supposed to roll in tomorrow.  I've spent a lot of time the last couple of days in the studio, madly piecing the memory quilt.  With the addition of the narrow black bands between the blocks, it also became  an exercise in "how do I put this together?"  I did some unsewing, but not a lot, and lots of partial seams.  I could never have done this on paper ahead of time- my brain just can't do it.  I needed the blocks up on my wall where I could see them, and work the process through.  My plan that I'd sketched out on graph paper got adjusted as I pieced, but in the end it all worked.  I think the narrow black bands really add some  zing to this quilt!

Adding the black bands also took care of another potential problem- bulk created when two heavier fabrics are seamed.  Since the shirt fabrics are only sewn to the lighter-weight black fabric, bulk is practically eliminated.

We also got our next photo for Interpret This!  It's one Deb took when she was living in Indonesia in the 90's.  It also reminds me of gates I saw around homes inhabited by Europeans when I was in Africa with the Peace Corps in the early 70's.  Strip piecing immediately comes to mind, but I'm going to let it marinate for a bit.

Not too long, though- I leave for Florida on Sept. 22, so I have to finish it before then.

I've got some pieces of fabric and a scarf rusting away, too.  Maybe I can get some small pieces done too???